Albany

City, Alameda County

© McCormack's Guides

 

Zip Code: 94706

Small, stable city, population 16,877, on the shore, next to and influenced by Berkeley. The university and all it offers — art, music, theater, sports — are within 10 minutes. Quiet. www.mccormacks.com

Home to many professionals and UC students. The university owns and manages a large neighborhood for students with families. Many of the UC kids attend Ocean View Elementary, at the edge of the UC tract.

School rankings very high. UC kids make up about 20 percent of school district enrollment.

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Crime low. Zero homicides in 2005, one in 2004, zero from 1997 through 2003. For previous years are, one, one, zero, one, zero, zero, one, zero, one. See Crime.

Housing rises from Bay to hills with great views. Built out. Many homes are old and small, one and two bedrooms, yet command high prices. High-rise condos near freeway. UC has renovated its housing for students.

In 2008, the state counted in Albany 7,351 residential units: 3,784 single homes, 198 single attached, 3,363 apartments, 6 mobile homes. www.mccormacks.com

About 50 restaurants, 40 antique stores, many of them on Solano Avenue, loads of charm. From cheap to expensive, eateries offer international cuisines, gourmet hamburgers and more. Evenings full of amblers. The avenue has bookstores and two movie theaters, one leaning toward art-house. Annual “Solano Stroll” street fair draws 100,000.

Just south of Albany, within walking distance of the UC housing, often in converted industrial buildings, Berkeley has created a shopping zone of restaurants, coffee houses, Cody’s Books, specialty shops (Sur La Table, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, etc.), and a large deli and a hofbrau.

Also nearby, REI (outdoor equipment and clothing), Smith and Hawken (garden tools and ornaments) and along San Pablo Avenue dance halls and restaurants. Just north of Albany is a mini mall with restaurants and stores specializing in Asian food and another mall with a Barnes and Noble Books and Trader Joe's.

Golden Gate Fields offers trotters, thoroughbreds, satellite betting. City is thinking about turning part of track parking lot into housing, park, plaza, other uses. But strong opposition from residents may have killed the plan.

Seniors center. Community center. Library. Teen center. Town pool. Soccer, Little League, many activities. www.mccormacks.com

Academic rankings among top 15 percent in state, at high school, top 5 percent. Strong school support, what's expected from a university town. Five public schools — high, middle, three elementary — enroll about 3,400 kids, many in walking distance. See Schools.

In 1993 and 2004, voters approved bond to renovate and rebuild schools, upgrade science labs and library. Parcel tax passed in 1999 and raised in 2005 to retain math, science and art classes and extra curricular activities and keep classes small and salaries competitive.

Parcel taxes are hard to win because they require two-thirds approval. The communities that pass them almost invariably have high scores and a history of good support for the schools.

In 1999, district opened rebuilt elementary and middle schools. New high school.

Every year only three dozen schools in California crack the 600 mark in the math SAT. In 2005, Albany High hit 616. Many private schools in Berkeley-El Cerrito. www.mccormacks.com

Ten minutes to Oakland, 20 minutes to San Fran. Freeway and Bay Bridge congested but an endurable commute. BART stations in Berkeley and El Cerrito. Buses to City and throughout East Bay. Chamber (510) 525-1771.

• In 2006, voters approved a bond to expand the town’s fire station and build an emergency services center.

Also approved was a tax to keep the town library open four hours on Sundays and another tax to repair streets and sewers.

• High school is about 220 students above design limit. School district is thinking about shifting some classrooms to YMCA or continuation schools or other building. The UC housing is being expanded and this is bringing in more students.

City web site: www.albanyca.org